From the interview with my nurse, I learned that being a strong leader in nursing is a day-to-day decision that one makes. I never considered that someone that feels they can be a strong leader one day, can have a dip in self confidence the next. My nurse has not been out of school for very long, so I expected some level of limit to her knowledge, but she never once faltered if she didn’t know something. So, it surprised me when she revealed in the interview that she sometimes feels doubted and incapable in her career and as a leader due to her young appearance. Although, she is clearly a very competent nurse. We talked about how she has trained many new grad nurses and has acted as a clinical instructor. She also plans to further her education and take more classes, join committees, and obtain further practice certifications. She also mentioned her interest in being a charge nurse in the future.
As far as emotional intelligence, my nurse does a great job of empathizing with patients and coworkers and is easily able to put herself in their shoes. As a leader, it is vital that a person be able to manage and identify their own emotions and be able to understand how those emotions impact others. This is a critically important part of nursing and based on her responses during our interview and what I’ve seen in practice, I think she does a fantastic job of maintaining a level head and putting her patients first. She also spoke about the importance of safety when it comes to dealing with conflict as a nurse leader. Emotional intelligence plays a huge part in de-escalation, which she says is the primary approach she uses. Putting herself on the same physical level as a patient and validating their emotions is a great way to calm a patient down and resolve a situation. It shows them that you are there for them, on the same team as them, and are willing to listen and work with them to resolve the issue. She explained that getting a more senior staff member is warranted if the situation gets out of hand, which also shows EI, as she knows her limits and knows when to get help.
Furthermore, maintaining a balance between work and home life is a big part in maintaining a healthy mind. During the interview, my nurse discussed getting outside, spending time with family, friends and pets, and listening to music. These things help her decompress after work, but she also mentions how it’s nice to get to know her coworkers and make strong connections with them in order to gain trust and a feeling of reliability.
This interview, while at points enlightening, was not unexpected for me. I had a wonderful experience with this nurse as my clinical instructor and could see immediately that she maintained a strong presence on her unit as a leader. If anything, this interview strengthened my belief that she will continue to do great things and lead by example in her field. I aspire to have done as much as she as at this point in my career when the time comes and will use my knowledge of her practice and techniques to mold my own practice in the future.
